Real World Clinical Blog

When we provide individuals with the space to think, to broaden their emotional literacy, to feel what feels un-feelable, we send change agents out into the world. Dr. Danna Bodenheimer signs off with her final weekly blog post.more

There is so much that we get wrong about grief, and it isn’t surprising. Like most things in life, we are desperately trying to keep an unwieldy process orderly and comprehensible. The fact about grief, though, is that it is neither.more

It is important to know that being triggered is about having first been traumatized. The word triggered signifies that a trauma has occurred and that specific stimuli can bring us back to this triggered state.more

Without taking too much of a stance on this either way, I want to share some thoughts on how deep work with personality disorders can feel. I also want to address the ways in which one can identify the presence of a personality disorder.more

One of the best parts of starting a private practice is that you can take it slowly. You can rent an office full time or for just a few hours a week. If you are ambivalent, I think it is worth finding out how it feels by giving it a shot.more

Over time, I have found tremendous comfort in the NASW Code of Ethics. I have also come to some additional conclusions about how to practice ethically, born of work with a highly diverse caseload across multiple practice settings.more

Empaths feel with exquisite precision, are quite vulnerable to absorbing the energy of those around them, are easily hurt, are often considered “over-sensitive,” cannot easily compartmentalize psychological experiences, and are innately intuitive.more

Individuals with narcissistic tendencies, basically, function in a constant crisis around self-esteem. Rather than being driven by attachment, which many of us are, more narcissistic folks are driven by the wish to experience a stable sense of worth.more

Don’t get me wrong, I love social work. I even loved social work school. I am offering these reflections and suggestions with the hope that they will be validating and helpful in making your education feel even more worthwhile.more

Whether you work with couples or you work with individuals, the fact is that you work with couples in some capacity. This is because most of our clients bring in their most intimate relationships, either literally or psychically.more

I met the therapist of my life in 1995. I was a sophomore in college. The vernacular around having a love of our life is well established. But we don’t talk as much about the therapist of our life.more

Clinically, our work comes down to the provision of an emotional acre of land for each client. For clients of color, this requires a more generous invitation into the room. It requires an intentional invitation honoring the complexity of our world.more

One week after the mass shooting in Orlando, we are faced with the difficult work of managing the resulting trauma. Part of this management requires us to delineate between the presentation of trauma and other mental health struggles.more